As a result of the 2010 earthquake that struck Hispaniola (Haiti
and the Dominican Republic), the Dominican Republic responded with
mixed-reactions. Immediately after the earthquake, the Dominican
Republic responded positively, by providing vast amounts of assistance
to Haitian victims. However, not long after the earthquake the Dominican
government altered its constitution out of fear that an influx of
Haitian immigrants would migrate into the Dominican Republic. Once news
about the cholera epidemic in Haiti disseminated, the Dominican
government rapidly closed its border to Haitians.

The Dominican government reacted out of fear that Haitians, in
their attempt to escape the aftermath of the natural disaster, would
immigrate into the Dominican side of the island and spread cholera.
According to Robles, "experts worry that the goodwill sown between
the two nations in the months since the quake will quickly dissipate, as
recovery stalls and more Haitian migrants cross illegally into the
Dominican Republic." In addition, the Dominican Republic's
recent constitution's amendment has made it increasingly difficult
for Haitians to attempt to remain in and/or enter the Dominican
Republic.

The Dominican Republic's resistance towards accepting Haitian
immigrants can be attributed to a popular Dominican ideology commonly
referred to antihaitianismo or anti-Haitianism. Anti-Haitianism plays a
crucial role in Dominicans' perceptions of Haitians. Ernesto Sagas
supplements this argument by latching history as the cause, suggesting,
"Antihaitianismo ideology combines a legacy of racist Spanish
colonial mentality, nineteenth-century racial theories, and
twentieth-century cultural neoracism into a web of anti-Haitian
attitudes, racial stereotypes, and historical distortions" (ix).
Pedro San Miguel, on the other hand, extends Anti-Haitianism's
definition by adding that:

Antihaitianismo consists of a hostile, unsympathetic, or derogatory
stance towards Haiti, its people, and culture. It is, therefore, a
particular kind of bigotry: a prejudice against a specific nation
and its citizens. Because of the background of the Haitian
population, composed largely of persons of African ancestry,
anti-Haitianism is permeated by racism and deprecating notions
about people of African descent in general. However, it possesses
special manifestations, traceable to the way in which the Haitian
nation came to exist and to the specific milieu in which it
emerged. (111)

Anti-Haitianism bases Dominican identity by constructing Haiti and
Haitians as the Dominican Republic's natural other. According to
David Howard, anti-Haitianism contends that Haitians embody
Dominicans' cultural contrast (5). Since, Anti-Haitian Dominicans
side with the colonial heritage they inherited from the Spanish, they
believe that these cultural contrasts are enough reasons to negate
Haitians entry into Dominican society. Anti-Haitian Dominicans wish to
preserve their colonial heritage and deem Haitians a threat to the
culture that they are trying to preserve.

One of the Dominican Republic's most well-known national
newspaper, El Listin Diario holds a comic strip series known as
"Dona Marmara y su inofensivo marido Don Chichi". In the comic
series, we see disparities in the ways Haitians are represented in
contrast to Dominicans. This paper argues that these disparities serve
to reinforce negative racial stereotypes that depict the Haitian and
Dominican masses in a generalized manner.

Haitians' physical attributes are deformed; meanwhile
Dominicans are erroneously depicted as white people with lesser physical
distortions than Haitians. The Dominican media is one of many central
venues in which anti-Haitian sentiment is produced (Sagas, 76-77). Sagas
argues that:

Political cartoons usually imply feelings that are too strong or
controversial to be printed, and in the case of the Dominican
media, they offer an interesting and perceptive insight into
antihaitianismo. A selection of political cartoons from Dominican
newspapers reflects a strong anti-Haitian bias. These political and
editorial cartoons speak for themselves and represent a poignant
example of the reproduction of antihaitianismo ideology in the
Dominican mass media. Moreover, some of these cartoons are
blatantly racist, with black characters seemingly taken from the
United States' 'Old South.' Haitians are traditionally stereotyped
as destitute blacks, whereas Dominicans and the Dominican Republic
are portrayed in favorable terms, usually by white figures. The
message that these cartoons convey is simple and unequivocal:
Haitians are black, Dominicans are not; Haiti is a trouble spot,
therefore, the Dominican Republic must always be on the alert
regarding Haiti's potential threat. (78)

The depiction of Haitians in the 'funnies' series also
resonates with the Dominican masses' self-perception. According to
Howard, in the Dominican Republic, "race" is inextricably
linked to "aesthetics" to the extent that Dominicans believe
that "people have 'fine' or 'bad' hair, a
'clear' or 'burnt' complexion"(Howard, 14). In
essence, for Dominican people are described as beautiful (the whiter) or
ugly (the blacker) Appearing white continues to be a preference for many
Dominicans, for "Social prejudice is frequently phrased in
aesthetic terms, and being blanco/a remains a social and aesthetic ideal
for many" (Howard, 14). Yet, aside from the physical distortions,
this comic series derides Haitian immigration while parodying the
cholera epidemic.

The Dominican Republic's tumultuous relationship with its
neighbor country, Haiti, has historical roots. One historical anomaly
the reader must become aware of is of the Dominican Republic's
uniqueness for attaining its independence. Unlike the rest of the Latin
American and Caribbean countries, the Dominican Republic did not obtain
its independence from a European colonial super power, instead it
obtained its 'freedom' from its neighbor-country Haiti.

The Dominican Republic's independence came about as a result
of it being occupied by the Haitian army from 1822-1844. This brief
22-year occupation resulted from Haitians wanting to ensure that no
colonial power ever set foot on the island. The Haitian
government's goal was to protect the island from any foreign
colonial threat that would attempt to re-establish slavery, which the
Haitians had permanently abolished as a result of the Haitian
Revolution. During the occupation, France had established a deal with
President Boyer to repay France for the financial losses that resulted
from the 'slave' revolt of the 1800s (Sagas and Inoa, 75).
President Boyer, while attempting to pay off the French, obliged the
Dominicans to also contribute towards repaying the debt. The
Dominicans' objection to this new obligation was also fueled by
their disappointment of how Haitians were mismanaging the Dominican
economy. The Dominicans also believed that the Haitian occupiers were
also mistreating them as if they were Haiti's colonial property.
Plus, Dominicans felt undervalued by Haitians since the occupiers
disrupted the Spanish culture already established in the Dominican
Republic that Dominicans dearly valued.

In 1844, under a Dominican creole named Juan Pablo Duarte and his
organization, the Trinitaria, the Dominicans executed a revolt that
successfully expelled the Haitian occupiers. At this juncture in time,
Santo Domingo, the former Spanish colony on the eastern side of
Hispaniola, became the country we know today as the Dominican Republic.
This particular historical event is credited for fomenting and
establishing anti-Haitian sentiment in the Dominican national identity.

Conservative anti-Haitian Dominican nationalists have used the
Dominican independence period, as well as the subsequent Haitian
military invasion attempts that lasted into the 1850s, to foment
anti-Haitian sentiment amongst the Dominican masses. The Dominican elite
has always sought to depict Haiti, since colonial times, as attempting
to take over the Dominican Republic, even through immigration. In fact,
Dominicans have a term for current Haitian immigration--they call it a
'pacific invasion'. Joaquin Balaguer, one of the Dominican
Republic's most well-known anti-Haitianist politician and
ideologue, proposed this concept (31) throughout his extensive political
career. Pacific invasion refers to Haitians who illegally, but
peacefully, (unlike the 19th century when they entered militarily and
heavily armed) enter the Dominican Republic under the alleged ulterior
motive of denationalizing the country; thus, fulfilling Toussaint
L'Overtoure's goal of making the island one and indivisible
under Haiti's dominion.

In 1930, dictator Rafael Trujillo y Molina comes to power.
Trujillo, ironically of Haitian ancestry, aimed to present himself as
the savior of the Dominican nation with goals of reconstructing the
Dominican nation to fit his ideal model of 'nationhood'. His
attempt to foment a new nationalism called for a genocidal attack
against Haitian immigrants who in 1938 remained in the Dominican
Republic after the cane harvest season. This genocidal attack, along
with an increasing military presence in the borderlands, and his call
for the importation of whites into the Dominican Republic to increase
the Dominican Republic's white population, led to a massive halt of
Haitian immigration into the Dominican Republic.

Trujillo, was an ardent nationalist, who promoted anti-Haitianism
as part of the State ideology (Sagas, 46). The dictator came to power
during the time of massive European nationalist dictatorships, such as:
Germany's infamous Hitler, who Trujillo befriended, Italy's
Mussolini, and Spain's Franco. The Dominican dictator ensured to
create a staff of historians to 'whiten' Dominican history.
Trujillo's intellectual cronies emphasized Dominicans' Spanish
ancestry while de-emphasizing their African heritage. The ardent
nationalist politician coupled the intellectual discourse with new
legislature that imposed penalties against anyone engaging in any
cultural activity that resonated with African culture. In the beginning
of the 20th century, Dominican intellectuals studied abroad in Europe,
during the era when scientific racism was prevalent in Western academia
(Torres-Saillant, 49). The racist theories endorsed by the Dominican
intelligentsia of the time, was purposefully utilized to further
propagate its political agenda and indoctrinate Dominican citizens.

After Trujillo's assassination in 1961, Haitians felt safe to
immigrate into the Dominican Republic in search for work. From this
period into the 21st century, the Dominican Republic has found itself
struggling to curtail and appropriately address the entrance of vast
numbers of undocumented Haitian immigrants. The presence of undocumented
immigrants has posed a series of problems for the Dominican Republic.

One of these problems consists of undocumented Haitian immigrants
permanently settling in the Dominican Republic. Many of these immigrants
give birth to their children there. Since, the children are of Haitian
descent, the Dominican government refuses to recognize the Haitian
children born in the Dominican Republic as Dominican nationals.

In addition, many Haitians have been deported, despite the fact
that some Haitians have been residing in the Dominican Republic for
generations at a time. Various institutional barriers have been created
to keep Haitians from integrating into the Dominican society (i.e., with
lack of legal documents that prove Dominican citizenship, Haitians
cannot attain better jobs, attend schools, or live in adequate housing,
etc.,). Aside from institutional barriers, Dominicans' attitudes
have been influenced by the elite and their institutions to enforce
anti-Haitian sentiment. Sagas informs that:

Antihaitianismo ideology is part of a set of attitudes that are
acquired early in life and reinforced by the socialization process.
Family and friends are the first agents of this socialization
process. Just as they were taught, they teach children the basic
tenets of antihaitianismo ideology. Their actions are a mere
reflection of a process that is repeated from generation to
generation. [...] Equally important is the role played by public
education in this process. Public education, unlike the teachings
of family and friends, is not a loose, uncoordinated, and
incomplete process. Public education is a coordinated and formative
process. It is institutionalized and supported by the state and has
as its main objective the formation of tomorrow's Dominican
citizens. (73-74)

The comic strip series, "Dona Marmara y su inofensivo marido
Don Chichi", is a result of the historical process delineated
above. The newspaper cartoon series depicts Haitians and Dominicans
differently. These differences consist of the following: Haitians rarely
speak to Dominicans, an indication that both groups rarely interact
(which is untrue) and the possibility that this can be related to
linguistic barriers. In the pictorial depictions, erroneous racial
disparities are such that all Dominicans are presented as white and all
Haitians resemble Sambo (3)-like images. Moreover, the theme of the
comics includes sarcasm and hyperbolic half-truths regarding Haitian
immigration in general and the effects of the natural disaster.

The El Listin Diario's comic strips portray erroneous racial
depictions of Haitians and Dominicans even though the Dominican and
Haitian population consists of people with a variety of skin tonalities.
The Dominican Republic, for instance, is one of the most phenotypically
diverse groups of people in the world. In this country miscegenation
between blacks and whites is "the highest in all of Latin America
and perhaps the modern world" (Sidanius, Pena, and Sawyer,
845)--even surpassing Brazil in its greater range of skin tones.
Similarly to the Haitian population, a great percentage of the Dominican
population is also dark-skinned.

Haitians, however, are more phenotypically homogenous and
darker-skinned than Dominicans. One can, though, still find some
light-skinned Haitians among the Haitian popular class. Suffice it to
say, that the Dominican 'funnies' does an injustice to the
actual reality of what Dominicans and Haitians actually look like.

Depicting Haitians and Dominicans as stark opposites serves a
purpose. Presenting Dominicans consistently as white and Haitians as
black makes it easier for the reader to determine who belongs to what
group. However, a danger lies within the implications of making one
group consistently white and the other black. The notion of blackness
solely belonging to one side of the island and not the other mistakenly
associates Dominicans as being a white people. Furthermore, this
suggestion also holds racist implications, indicating that blacks cannot
partake in Dominican nationality. When specific groups of people are
excluded from a society because of their race, then the society in
question is racist.

These comic strips present the Haitian popular class in Sambo-like
fashion. During the Jim Crow era, the US South was known for depicting
African Americans with large black heads, white eyes, and immense
protruding lips. Gender wise, most of the Haitians in the Dominican
comic strips are generally male, an indication of a sexist
interpretation of the Haitian migratory phenomenon. However, when
females are depicted they are generally illustrated as nearly
indistinguishable from the males. The female caricatures are often
shirtless, similarly to the males, and only wear a triangular skirt. The
illustrations blur the gender lines, suggesting that Haitians are viewed
and addressed in generalized terms.

Since January 2011 until August 2012 the Dominican newspaper has
displayed a total of 44 comic strips that either discuss Haiti and
Haitians or display images of Haitians. These pictures are usually
published when particular events that address Haitian immigration or
politics are discussed in the newspaper. The comic strips serve to
bolster what the journalists report on, in addition to symbolically
reinforcing the DominicanHaitian border for the Dominican audience. At
this point I will demonstrate a few examples of the pictures that have
been published in El Listin Diario. Due to space constraints, the most
significant images published throughout the months mentioned above will
be displayed.

The June 13, 2010 square displays Haitian children in the streets
of the Dominican Republic asking Dominicans for charity. A disabled
Dominican man with crutches, who crosses the street, complains,
"I'm screwed, in order for one to now be able to ask for
charity one has to be a Haitian". The handicapped Dominican
believes that he cannot compete with Haitian children for donations.
Feeling defeated, he believes that Haitians (undocumented immigrants)
have a monopoly over Dominican charity. This picture argues unfairness.

Yet, this square fails to address if this Dominican handicapped
citizen is receiving public assistance from the Dominican government.
Although, there is a Dominican driving a car (notice that both
Dominicans are white and the Haitian children are black) we see that not
all Dominicans are poor or are in need of charity. Only because the
Dominican is in the car (an indication that he has access to some sort
of income) does not mean that the Dominican in the vehicle is going to
(or willing to) give the Haitian children charity.

One silent critique however, targets Haitian parents. Haitian
parents are not seen in this square, leaving the reader to infer that
Haitian parents are bad parents who do not supervise their children and
instead prefer to have their semi-nude children (including female
children) engage in a sort of informal child labor in the dangerous
streets of the Dominican Republic. This square castigates Haitian
parents, who are immigrants, as having lesser moral values than
Dominicans.

The left-sided bubble states: "Which has been the biggest
Haitian invasion: Toussaint's in 1801 Dessaline's in 1805 or
Boyer's in 1822?" The bubble on the right replies: "The
2010 earthquake." This sarcastic image demonstrates how the two
whiteskinned Dominicans males perceive Haiti and Haitians. Their
perception of Haitian immigration is tainted with nationalist history
emanating from colonial times that depict their Haitian neighbor as a
foreign invader country. Clearly, these two men see their country as
victimized by Haiti.

This square signifies the geopolitical dilemma standing between the
Dominican Republic and Haiti, that when natural disasters occur Haitians
are known for migrating into the Dominican Republic for safety. As Sagas
stated, cartoon images warn Dominicans to be constantly on the alert of
social turmoil occurring in Haiti (8).

The left-side bubble states: "And why can't we Dominicans
construct a wall on the frontiers the way the Americans do?" The
right-side bubble replies: "Because we are not blonde, nor do we
have dollars." Dominicans want to create a wall, signifying that
they do not want Haitians to enter the Dominican Republic. Prohibiting a
particular group of people for that matter, from entering one's
country suggests exclusivity. Excluding a particular group, particularly
in the Dominican-Haitian case, from taking part in a society increases
racist sentiment. Dominicans, like the US who constructed a fence to
keep Mexicans out, want to imitate the US by constructing a wall to keep
out Haitians.

Since, Haitians do the majority of construction work in the
Dominican Republic, Dominicans have stigmatized construction labor in
the Dominican Republic as Haitian work. The stigmatization of certain
labor indicates that ironically Dominicans would most likely hire the
same Haitians they are struggling to keep out of the country to build
the wall. This picture says nothing of who will build the wall; neither
does it indicate if other Dominicans and/or Haitians will express
resistance towards building the wall. If Dominicans would be the ones to
build the wall, this would signify that Dominicans are more than willing
to "take back" their nation by ignoring the Haitian stereotype
(of construction work being "Haitian" work), especially if it
means restoring the nation. In other words, building the wall for
anti-Haitian Dominicans would be a nationalist project.

Although Dominicans are illustrated as white people, they know that
they are not blonde. The real whites with the blonde hair are the
Americans; thus, the reference to dollars. Despite the fact that Barack
Obama is the President of the United States, blondes are still the real
Americans! Interestingly, the two Dominicans acknowledge that the US
influences Dominican-international relations and they, as Dominicans,
feel powerless in attempting to dictate who enters the Dominican
Republic.

The left-side bubble reads: "You Dominicans are mean, with the
Haitians". The right side bubble states: "You have to allow
that all of the sick people with cholera enter [your country]." The
Pan American Organization of Health, depicted as a white male in a white
coat, wearing a black tie, is intervening in Dominica foreign policy.
Don Chichi, one of the main characters of the series, represents the
Dominican Republic. A black body, with a skull-head, however, represents
Haitians, symbolizing death with the word Cholera inscribed on its body.
Haitian bodies are contaminated, deadly, and are to be avoided at all
costs, even if the international community sees the Dominican Republic
as "mean". Haiti, as a nation, is stereotyped as sickened and
international spectators criticize the Dominican Republic for not
sympathizing with their Haitian neighbors. For Dominicans to sympathize
they would have to open their borders. This square represents defensive
nationalism at its finest. This picture relies on Dominicans' fears
that an uncontrolled or unpatrolled border will pave way for diseases
and lead to the destruction of Dominicans' lives.

The left bubble affirms: "What are cholera's
symptoms?" The right-side bubble angrily replies: "That it
gives you cholera!" Cholera in Spanish has double meaning. It can
signify the actual disease and it can also mean rage or anger. This
square engages in wordplay. These two Dominicans are receiving their
information from the Dominican media (TV). The Dominican public is
learning how this new disease was imported into their country. We can
infer that Haitians are being blamed for this new disease entering the
DR, thus leading the Dominican man to react angrily.

The bubble declares, "Did you notice that the island is
indivisible?" This square has historic connotations. In the early
19th century the Haitian constitution proclaimed the island to be one
and indivisible. Conservative Dominican Nationalists have used this
statement to insinuate that Haitians still want to take over the
Dominican Republic and merge both countries. In this square we see two
Haitians, a male and female. We know the figure on the left is female
because of her skirt. A white Dominican male, however, represents the
Dominican Republic. Similar to the previous picture, white Dominican men
represent the entire Dominican Republic. Both parties are separated by
water, indicating that a natural disaster has taken place, leaving both
countries flooded. The metaphor "we're both in the same
boat" aptly applies to this square. Both parties stand on rooftops,
implying that each country is symbolic of a home. This square reflects
how both countries are subject to the same natural disasters, yet
historical metaphors are used to interpret their present circumstances.

The bubble coming from the TV set says: "Residents of a
neighborhood in Santiago threaten to kick out Haitians who defecate in
plastic bags and launch them at schools, churches. Causing outbreaks
of..". The old Dominican man, Don Chichi, replies, "Be careful
that they can say that they are racist." This square stereotypes
Haitians as lacking hygiene and disrupting Dominican culture. The
Dominican media seeks to blame Haitians for not only throwing feces at
valued Dominican institutions, but also spreading diseases, providing a
subtle and implied reference to cholera. The Dominican couple watching
TV fears that the people of Santiago will be regarded as racist. Notice
that the Dominican news reporter is also a white male.

The Dominican news does not provide solutions to the country's
social problems; only the problems are acknowledged. Don Chichi's
comment suggests that Dominicans have been accused of being racist
against Haitians. He demonstrates that he is familiar with how the
language of political correctness should be spoken. Haitians launching
feces is a Dominican stereotype Dominican have against Haitians. Since
Haiti lacks proper indoor irrigation Haitians have been known to launch
bags of feces to their rooftops. The Dominican media has taken this
stereotype and exploited and publicized it to warn Dominicans of
potential Haitians entering their neighborhoods. Instilling fear in
Dominicans about the potential for Haitians to launch feces in public
places of the Dominican Republic sends out a clear message to the
viewer: If you see Haitians beware, protect your neighborhood by ridding
them of the Haitian presence. The newscaster subtly justifies xenophobia
and generalizations of the Haitians by proving the example of the city
of Santiago. We can see a clear example of this sort of news coming from
Santiago, Republica Dominicana, "Local residents also said that the
Haitians posed a danger of spreading cholera, since they lived in
overcrowded quarters with no bathrooms, leading them to defecate in
plastic bags that they left on the premises of schools, homes, stores
and elsewhere" (EFE, Latin American Herald Tribune).

The Dominican news reporter informs that: "The traditional
three wise men will not be able to come this year ... The camels caught
cholera". The sarcastic Dominican media blames Haitians for ruining
the Dominican holidays. It is obvious at this point that these comic
pictures rely on converting Haitians into scapegoats for humor effect.
The questions that must be asked are: Why must the Dominican media take
it to this extreme to denigrate Haitians? Is celebrating the denigration
of Haitians, or anti-Haitianism, simply being "Dominican"?
Will one stop being Dominican if one refuses to laugh at these jokes?

The square says, "The same right". According to this
square, the Dominican Republic finds itself deporting Haitians, while
receiving Dominicans who have been deported from elsewhere. Similarly to
Haitians, Dominicans receive comparable treatment abroad. Yet, this
maltreatment from abroad does not mean that Dominicans will treat
Haitians any less worst.

The airplane carries a bag filled with money that the Dominican
government is sending to the University of Haiti, thus the dollar signs
circling the bag. The Dominican couples holds up a picket sign
protesting the 4% the Dominican educational system receives annually
from the Dominican national budget.

The Dominicans in the image protest donating Dominican educational
funds to Haiti's educational system because they perceive their own
institutions being neglected. Dominicans believe that the $30million
dollars donated to the University of Haiti could be better put to use if
it were donated to the Dominican Republic's educational system.
Besides, the funds being donated to Haiti come from the Dominican
people's tax money. These Dominicans resent having their money
spent on a people (i.e., Haitians) who they have considered to be a
foreign threat for centuries. Anti-Haitian Dominicans consider this a
neglect of the Dominican people by the Fernandez presidential
administration. To send money to Haiti, is to turn one's back on
the Dominican Republic, thus an act of betrayal to the Patria
(homeland). Similarly to the first square addressed, Dominicans, in the
aftermath of the earthquake see Haitians as the only ones in the island
receiving financial assistance.

The left-side bubble says: "How would things be if we merged
with Haiti?" The next bubble reads: "Would they be the
Dominican Republic of the west and we the Haiti of the east?" This
square reflects Dominicans' paranoia and fears that the Dominican
Republic would be denationalized through the massive influx of Haitian
immigrants. Dominicans fear that their population would be shifted
towards Haiti and Haitians would move into the Dominican side of the
island. Since the Dominican Republic is less poor than Haiti, Haitians
migrate to the Dominican side in search for a better life. Dominicans
perceive that they gradually lose their country to Haitians as the
Haitian population in the Dominican side grows.

A line divides Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The line
represents the border. The first bubble states: "Haiti gave us the
cholera". The second bubble proclaims, "The Dominican Republic
gave us the cholera". The country furthest to the right is Puerto
Rico. Puerto Ricans blame Dominicans and Dominicans blame Haitians for
importing cholera into their country. This square represents a
'blame game'. If Haitians were to have adequately been given a
voice, Haitians would then have accurately pointed to the UN's
MINUSTAH who brought cholera to Haiti. According to Lauren Carasik,

As details emerged about the origin of the cholera epidemic, a
disease not seen in Haiti in almost a century prior to the outbreak, it
became clear that the UN stabilisation force, known by its French
acronym, MINUSTAH, was to blame. Yet, as we approach the one-year mark
since human rights groups filed a claim against the UN for bringing
cholera to Haiti, the UN has failed to respond to the charges leveled
against it. (Aljazeera.com)

A Dominican immigration guard sits by the border. His bubble reads
"This is not my problem ... This is an issue for the guards".
This image criticizes Dominican immigration guards for not being
efficient in guarding the borderlands. The guard looks detached
expressing no concern for Haitian immigration, thus the depiction of a
lazy man in uniform sitting idly by not doing his duty. The duty of the
immigration officer is to secure the border. The immigration officer is
refusing to do his job; thus, the happy (the wide smile) Haitian running
into the Dominican Republic. Yet, this square remains silent on Haitian
authority. It is obvious that Dominicans perceive that this is a problem
that they have to handle since they are the affected party.

In conclusion, the comic series portrays Haitians as black and
Dominicans as whites with European features. The selected squares depict
Haitians as Sambo-looking caricatures and the Dominican people as devoid
of any African phonotypical features. Haitians are blamed for bringing
cholera into the Dominican Republic. In fact, the cholera epidemic is
used to create humor among Dominicans; a way that further ensures
Dominican solidarity against the neighbor foreigners. None of the
selected comic squares express sympathy for Haitians' plight.
Instead, historicized reactionary nationalist rhetoric is reiterated to
interpret Haitian immigration into the Dominican Republic as a result of
the 2010 earthquake. Illegal immigration, funds being spent on Haitians
and not on Dominicans, natural disaster, disease, Haitian repatriations,
are all topics the comic series "Dona Marmara y su inofensivo
marido Don Chichi" since the 2010 earthquake addresses.

Baud, Michiel. "'Constitutionally White': The
forging of a national identity in the Dominican Republic."
Ethncities in the Caribbean. Essays in Honor of Harry Hoetink. Ed.
Ed.Oostindie, Gert. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2005.
121-151.

Carasik, Lauren. "The United Nations' Role in Haiti
Cholera Outbreak." Aljazeera.com. 20 November 2012. Web. 25
November 2012. <http://www.aljazeera.com/
indepth/opinion/2012/11/20121115101554961482.html>.

Robles, Frances. "After the quake, Haiti and the Dominican
Republic, have a smoother, but fragile, relationship." The Miami
Herald 16 July 2010. Web. 27 March 2011. <http://www.fmreview.
org/FMRpdfs/FMR32/23-25.pdf>.

(1) The Dominican newspaper El Listin Diario in listindiario.com.do
publishes their funnies in only one square. Therefore, every day the
reader can expect to encounter one square. The comic strips are located
on the last pages of this paper.

(2) If the reader is interested in viewing more comic strips, they
can go to El Listin Diario's online website listindiario.com.do.

(3) Sambo is an old-school caricature used in the US South with
large protruding lips and big mouth. He represented the negative
stereotypes Whites had of Blacks (e.g., lack of intelligence, ugly,
lazy, a person worthy of humiliating for humor's sake).

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